Members play key role in budget fight


Story and photos by DEBORAH A. MILES During a time when PEF and other


labor unions are facing new and tough challenges, PEF also is changing the way it reaches out to members. On March 6, PEF held its first high-tech


telephone-town-hall meeting. Nearly 49,600 calls were made all at the same time to members throughout the state. More than 22,000 people answered the call and 17,398 participated. PEF President Ken Brynien and PEF’s


statewide officers responded during the call to questions about the governor’s proposal to freeze wages, the status of contract negotiations and the union’s campaign to protect jobs and services. Brynien said the meeting encouraged


thousands of members to become more involved with union activities. “Our goal was to get the word out that


every member plays a vital role in shaping our future. Our role is to protect jobs, services and benefits,” Brynien said. “We are working with other labor organizations to build a solid union front in New York.”


On camera During the tele-town-hall meeting,


Brynien also spoke about the PEFlix ads that featured members around the state and aired more than 700 times on television stations from Long Island to Buffalo March 7 through 19. “Our ad campaign let other taxpayers


and legislators know who we are, what we do, what services we provide to the public, and why our work is important,” Brynien said. “The campaign was designed to give a true glimpse of the value of a state employee.”


public employees and the citizens who depend on their services to pay for the damage done to New York’s economy by some of its wealthiest people and corporations that are being asked to contribute nothing. The governor would have middle-class


state employees would take average annual pay cuts of $2,400 to $3,400 for the next four years, losing $9,600 to $13,500. Instead of using that money to close the


budget gap and maintain state services, the governor would give it to the wealthiest New Yorkers as an annual tax cut of up to $21,000 in addition to the average federal income tax cut of $124,000 they just received. “The state should adopt an agenda for


tax fairness: closing loopholes, limiting tax deductions for corporations and adapting a new tax system for an evolving finance sector,” Brynien said.


www.pef.org


really need services will suffer.


“My department helps


On Facebook As more members are joining Facebook,


PEF developed its own Facebook page called “Public Employees Federation (Official).” The site includes up-to-date information on all the union’s activities. For automatic updates sent directly to you, just go to the site and select “like.” You also may check the PEF website for the latest union information and to sign-up for the Active Informed Member (AIM) bulletins.


On the streets While technology is a powerful tool to


reach members, there is still something special about a rally where hundreds of people gather to chant, march and cheer. That’s exactly what happened March 1 when 500 PEF members and other union and community members rallied for Fiscal Fairness in Albany at the State Capitol. PEF Vice President Pat Baker led the


crowd to roar “tax the rich.” PEF members from many state agencies


all agreed the wealthy should be taxed. John Wiechec, an associate


rehabilitation counselor at the state Education Department, said if the state gives tax breaks to the wealthy, people who


Some consolidations good PEF supports most of the specific


consolidations of state agencies proposed in the budget “as long as employee’s civil service and contractual rights are protected,” Brynien testified. PEF asked legislators to ensure the


proposed merger of the state Division of Parole with the Department of Correctional Services will maintain the state Parole Board’s independence and parole officers’ discretion. PEF advised the lawmakers to keep a


tight grip on their right to review each new consolidation proposal as it comes up, rather than give the governor more control. “We urge you to reject Senate Bill 2813


and Assembly Bill 4013 that would only allow the Legislature to accept or reject, not change, any additional agency- consolidation proposals. Those bills are free


HUNTINGTON WIECHEC


individuals with disabilities. With services and assistance, these people can become taxpaying citizens,” Wiechec said. “Eventually, it will cost the state more if these services are not provided.” Mary Sapp, an associate


in education improvement services, said, “Every agency across the state needs financial support for individuals who really need services. That money could come from the wealthy who can afford to pay their fair share of taxes.” “The state wants to cut


services to people. There are already a lot of people out of work,” said Eric Huntington, a project manager at the state Department of Health. “The


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state is reducing its safety net by cutting programs and services for people who need them the most, just to give a tax break to the wealthy. It’s just not right. It’s un-American.” Hundreds of PEF Region


8 members also left state Sen. Hugh Farley messages March 21 asking him to support taxing the wealthy.


of any detail. We need actual agency consolidation plans that can be considered by the Legislature on their own merits,” Brynien stressed.


Don’t ignore the elephants Brynien said the proposed


consolidations “ignore the biggest and fattest elephants in the room.” The state could dramatically improve


efficiency by consolidating public authorities into state agencies. More than 1,000 public authorities operate off-budget or in the shadows. On average, the authorities pay their


employees 25 percent more than state agencies pay their employees with comparable jobs and duties. Brynien also said about $280 million could be saved each year if the state replaced many of the consultants with state employees. (Testimony can be viewed at pef.org.)


The Communicator April 2011—Page 5


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